The beauty of Singapore Airlines

 Here I am slumming it out in my comfies surfing the web in the airport looking like a total rag. It is at this precise self-deprecating moment that I catch a glimpse from the corner of my eye of a slim silhouette reflecting in the glass next to me. I turn around and see a bevy of slim, pretty girls all dressed in that iconic Singapore Airlines uniform. They looked amazing, well groomed and made me feel slightly envious as I wished that I could have the opportunity to don that uniform. Of course, I would make a very poor flight attendant with my clumsy gestures and  lack of patience..

Will be off to Jakarta in a bit.. I am sure I will be blogging a little more in the next couple of days as I will have nothing better to do after my meetings.

Thank you Hans Rosling!

For putting it across so eloquently that Singapore needs to reevaluate and improve gender equity if it wants to increase fertility rates. I don't know about you but I believe we can do with more men being more involved in the household especially if women are working too. Plus, i'm a firm advocate for equal opportunities and fair treatment  for both sexes  More importantly, I believe it's important for both parents to develop lasting bonds with their children.

Read more of his interview on The Straits Times Here- too bad it's not the full article: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_525556.html

Night out at Nandos Chicken Singapore

I was really excited to go to Nandos in Singapore yesterday evening but the night went awry.

When we entered the restaurant, they placed us right next to the kitchen. I wanted a change as smoke was just drifting out of the kitchen. We requested for a change in tables and were placed outside which was perfect for us. Then more trouble ensued as we watched the kitchen just fill up with smoke. A lot of it. The smoke was not dispersing and it even reached the tables outside. There was so much of it that Danjel promptly got us out of our table to stand away from it so that we could breathe.

At this point, you would think the management would shut the kitchen down, check on what orders were not grilled up, apologize to the guests and provide gift vouchers, etc. and get their employees out of there.

Guess what? They did not.

I noticed servers started telling people who have not ordered anything that they could not order anything because the kitchen would not be able to complete their orders. However, they did not tell us (and other customers near us) this and I assumed that perhaps our orders were already good to go. Yet when I peered in through the window, I saw that there were staff still attending to the grills. It wasn’t long before I saw a couple of female employees being assisted out because they had difficulty breathing. Another one was carried out because she looked like she had passed out.

Our chicken arrived which was delicious. Just how I remembered them from Vancouver.

I felt guilty eating it because these girls were just a couple of meters away from me having difficulty breathing and also compelled to finish my meal because they had gone to all that trouble. It was a mixed bag of emotions and very uncomfortable. The servers came round to apologize and to tell us that our meals were on the house. Well at least they did ONE thing right. (OK, two if you count the chicken)

The ambulance finally arrived, together with the fire trucks and police. The girls were taken to the hospital and they had to shut the joint down for the night.

I’m still reeling from this experience because it was appalling the lack of concern for the safety of their staff. Perhaps they were trying their best to peel them from the grills but nobody realized how dangerous smoke can be, I don’t know. Frankly I don’t care. Employee safety should be taken seriously and management should have been on the ball. It’s not excusable.

I’m so consumed by this experience that I can’t believe that I didn’t even bitch about the lousy server we had in this post. She was rude, and gave me coke light instead of coke zero! I hate coke light and I can taste the freaking difference! You don’t EVER pull shit like that. Did I mention she was RUDE? The other servers seemed nice enough though.

Here’s wishing Nandos Singapore all the best! I’m looking forward to dining there again and posting a better review. I love chicken at Nandos so I’ll probably be dining there again and I do hope that they will iron out the kinks soon enough! I Want them to succeed in Singapore so we'll have more Nandos outlets across the isle!

Stomachaches and Cloudy Sundays

I had a distinct feeling waking up this morning that I wanted to be free. Free from the pain that had been plaguing my stomach the last few days. Last night had just been horrible. The pain surging through my belly with no form of release was unbearable. I got through it and thankfully today seems like a better day. It was Sunday but there was no sun. Oh no, mothers in Singapore would have to make do with clouds and general mugginess pervading the atmosphere. But that was ok with me. I would be spending the day indoors anyways, nursing myself back to health. This seems to be a pattern these days since I’ve been on oral steroids for my alopecia areata. The good news is that it seems to be working, my hair seems to be growing back but then I’ve since settled into a pattern of being sick nearly every weekend. I am not sure this is worth it. I know I can’t be on this for long too and am gradually being weaned off by my doctor. Luckily, I have since been accepting that my body is just allergic to my hair. Stupid brain, can’t you just tell my immune system to kick it down a notch and not attack my hair? J Lest anyone assumes that I’m whining about my condition, I’m not, I am much happier than I have been in months/years really.

Now if only, I can get my stomach better. Doesn’t help that my stomach in general is just really sensitive already. Just it wasn’t this bad. 

Welcome long weekend!

Ahh, the glorious long weekend. So far, it's been filled with sunshine and lazy days. I love it.

It started out fabulously with dinner at En Dining Bar around Robertson Quay where we feasted on copious amounts of sashimi and sushi. I can still taste the sweet, sweet prawns and my favorite Ikura sushi. After 2 hours of eating, we decided it would be time to graduate to dessert and we walked over to Canele where we indulged in sugar and more sugar and caffeine. Oh and it doesn't end there, no way! We walked over to the Wine and Cheese bar right round the corner and bought a bottle of shiraz. Of course, it wouldn't be complete with a cheese platter! How can you go to a wine and cheese bar and refuse cheese? Unthinkable! The boys let me decide since I am the cheese connoisseur and were very pleased with my selection of gruyere, mimolette and a soft brie-like cheese whose name is escaping me at this moment. Mmmmm, Friday night was definitely an exercise in gluttony but with such a start to the weekend, one can only expect good things for the rest of it.

I hadn't planned anything special. I knew what I wanted and needed. Rest and lots of it. For some reason, working is taking the wind out of me. I am adjusting to the rhythm of my new life and eventually, I'll get it. It's been a crazy last 2 weeks with many changes, both in my work and personal life. Thankfully, things seem to be working out and it looks like we're going to be in Singapore for a while :)

I woke up on Saturday to the beaming sun and sat up looking out of my window thinking, wow, it's so beautiful. It's so lovely to see the sun. This is why I love Singapore, despite the thunderstormy afternoons that we've been getting lately, I still see a lot of sun. Definitely more than Vancouver and I'm so thankful for that every single day.Yes, this weekend has been lovely and since I have Monday off, it means that I have one more glorious, lazy day ahead of me. 

Oh yes, I will savor it.

Over the last 4 glorious months......

I will miss:

- Morning goodbye kisses from Danjel while my head is still buried in the pillow.

- Sunny weekday afternoon swims.

- Half-hearted attempts at morning pilates.

- Cooking recipes that takes a good 3 hours.

- Weekday trips to Orchard road, Bugis Village and Chinatown.

- Afternoon naps.

-  Free time to do whatever I want.

But I'm totally psyched to be starting work tomorrow! 

In a brand new industry, in brand new direction. Can't wait! 

In control and loving it

*I posted this within my blog on Alopecia World but thought it would be good to share here too :)


4 months ago, I was in such a different place. My hair was dropping like crazy and I could no longer go out without any head covering. I was miserable and full of self-doubt and definitely not confident. I had just been laid off and admittedly a little afraid of getting back out into the workforce because of alopecia. I was worried and concerned. "How would I go to interviews?" "How would I take people looking at my wigs and wondering if it's my hair?" Such and similar questions permeated and consumed my mind. It was a horrible time.

I didn't really look. I kept in touch with my contacts in my old industry but didn't really start job searching. I convinced myself that something would turn up even though this industry was really quite small here in Singapore. The real reason that I didn't look was because I was afraid of venturing out. I was literally being held back by my hair. I went on a wonderful beach vacation in February and when I came back, I was still full of self-doubt and loathing. Really not helping myself get back into the game.

Then one day, after this huge meltdown with my boyfriend which was caused by me pushing him away because I felt he should be with someone more normal, I decided that it was enough. I didn't want this to control my life anymore. And I really didn't want to lose my boyfriend. I wanted to be in control. I googled, I searched and found Alopecia World where it was so comforting to find other women like myself. I didn't feel alone anymore. If she can do it, then so can I. I was inspired by all the beautiful and strong women on this site and decided I would also try to be supportive for others as well.

As the days went on, I started feeling positive, and happier. My boyfriend noticed a difference in my attitude. "You are so much happier and that makes me happy", he said to me out of the blue. That made me smile because I was really happy. For once, I felt in control. Aha, take that alopecia!

I started actively job searching in March, reevaluating my career direction and reformatted my resume and got down to business. I was focused and determined and nothing was going to stop me. I felt like me again. I started interviewing two weeks ago and then last Thursday I went in for an interview with a company I really wanted to work for. I felt confident and made the right connections. An hour after I left, I received an offer that I couldn't refuse.

I start work next week. And I couldn't be happier.

Cab Conversations Part Deux

I wonder if I'm taking too many cabs because for the most part I get really ok cab drivers and then every once in a while I get some random strange conversation.

Just the other day, the cab driver asked me how old I was and when he found out, he said, "You should have kids now! You don't want to wait until you are too old"

WAIT a minute. Did he just call me OLD? Seriously??

And when I mentioned most of my good friends are not married, he said "Ahh I see. Birds of a feather flock together."

What does that even mean???

I think I should stop talking to cab drivers.

The Radio Dept @ Zouk

Am off with my Swede to the Radio Dept gig at Zouk tonight!

Happiness is a live band. yay!

Delight Us, Mustafa!

24 hours SHOPPING where you can find all sorts of things that you never knew you needed. Yes, that is Mustafa in a nutshell.  Dan and I came home lugging a whole variety of what other people might call crap. I picked up a plastic spade and little rocks for my urban garden. Dan picked up stuff for his tinkering. We couldn't be happier as we covered all floors.

Delights soon turn to horror when we couldn't get out of Little India. Worst night for cabs! I swear! Tried calling for a cab and nobody wanted to pick us up!

Next time, I say we stick to one spot and NOT MOVE. 

My Urban Garden

I find plants creepy. Yes. I do. And yet, for the last few weeks, I have been comtemplating buying a plant. Don't get me wrong, i don't hate plants. I just have different feelings around different plants.

I have kept 2 or 3 potted plants in my apartment in Vancouver, some dying and some with some success. Of course, I did live in a North Facing apartment so it was pretty difficult to keep anything growing for long.

Now that I'm living in sunny (sometimes stormy) Singapore, I suddenly fancy myself to be a bit of an urban gardener. I picked up a lovely ZZ plant from Ikea and then on Sunday, I picked up an Orchird (mini-dendrobium), a baby Aloe plant and a type of Echeveria cactus plant. Oh, and I'm trying to grow lemon grass, galangal and ginger. Have them in glasses of water right now, trying to inspire some rooting and then if that's successful, will be plunking them into pots of soil. I love all my plants! I do hope they will keep living and I did a lot of research before settling on these ones as they are quite ok in terms of maintenance. The Orchid maybe a little bit more finicky but I love orchids! I had to get one and try my hand at it. Besides I read Mini-dens are pretty good starter orchirds. 

Introducing my new friends, plants...... :):):)

Miss O.

Cassie the ZZ Plant

Ginger, Lemongrass, Galangal

Rosy and Lolo

Another shot of Rosy and Lolo

Cab rides can be good and..then some..

Today, I flagged and got into a cab and realized I should have RUN out of the cab when the driver was confused at what I was saying. Worst still, I felt like she didn't KNOW how to drive. I felt like I was being driven around by a student driver. Definitely not something to inspire confidence in a cabby's safety record. My suspicions were verified when my cab was almost hit by other cars MULTIPLE times as she tried to swerve into other lanes without much signalling. Did I mention that I am  not a fan of heavy footwork on the brakes? To top it all, she tells me that she knew where she was going but she kept making these weird u-turns and I felt like we were going round and round. I'm not sure how I made it to my destination.

"Oooh this hotel, I know there was one around here but wasn't sure where"

Then why didn't you just come out right and tell me that in the beginning???

Dodgy Night Out.....with HATS!

Hah! It was our very first dodgy night out ....with Hats and we had the best time. Was happily surprised by the large turn out and how almost everybody came out with some type of headgear. I'm gonna organize another dodgy night out for sure! The whole point of the affair was to ease our way into the sleazy joints of Singapore. Starting out at the Prince of Wales and working our way down..........we managed to squeeze in Thai Disco 1 (so sad we thought it was Thai Disco 2 until all our illusions were grandly smashed with our realization) and then towards Ipanema (awesome live band) at Orchard Towers - 4 floors of whores. :) Anyways, too bad, didn't manage to squeeze in some Romeo. Danjel and I were pretty beat at only 3 am :( Signs of aging, I tell ya!!

Trip to Singapore's Chinatown

I took a trip out to Chinatown last Friday and I can't believe I didn't indulge in any of the yummy food being served there. Geez, what's up with me? Well, i got distracted with trying on wigs that's what. Then it proceeded to pour like crazy and I decided that I would feel best at home.

To make up for that trip, we went back there on Sunday and this time indulged in some yummy food at the food court at People's Park Complex.  Oh and we picked up cheap toiletries here too.  Dan also managed to score a couple of sunglasses from one of the shops at the market near Sago lane. One of which looked like it had been in the store for over 20 years. It looked too weird to pass up and I think it's pretty cool.

Danjel was wearing his favorite, dingy wifebeater which warranted much teasing from me :) I told him he looked just like one of those Chinatown ah-peks ("uncles"). Speaking of these "Ah Peks", we saw quite a number of them at the hawker center right in Chinatown (the one above the market) drinking beers and surrounded by young women. Of course, the imaginary scenarios we were conjuring up together were probably funnier than what was actually happening. We might have been discussing a little too loudly because the beer drinking "ah pek" next to us told us proudly " here, lots of girls, from China, Thailand, Philippines, ..." plus more but I couldn't really hear or understand him. Is this even legal? Or safe? Are the women holding only tourist visas?? I don't know I mean it's all really quite sketchy but sure makes for an interesting Sunday afternoon.

Ikea Bedsheets Part Deux - Ikea Renate

Ok so the sheets weren't as soft as I thought it would be but I'm hoping they'll soften up over time. I think it looks pretty good in our room as it brightens it up. As you can see from my photo below, I'm not in the habit of ironing my sheets! 

Ikea Bed Sheets

Today I took a jolly trip down to my favorite Swedish store, Ikea (actually I think it's the only Swedish store I know. hahahaha. I know, I live under a rock). I've been meaning to buy some new sheets since I've moved in with Danjel in Singapore but have been rationalizing away the need as he already has bed sheets. However, yesterday it hit home that I needed those brand, spanking new bed sheets. Why? So I can finally feel like it's OUR bed. If we ever move, we're definitely buying a new bed. Ever since I've accepted in my head that I'm in this for the long haul, I've been feeling extra territorial. Dan's been encouraging me to "mark" the place with my stuff since I've moved in but now I FINALLY get it. 


Besides, any excuse to go to Ikea is a good one :) And NO trip to Ikea is complete without dawdling over the endless supply of household stuff. Totally useful for picking up random stuff you don't need like glasses (but there is that one glass that is chipped that we need to throw out....) or that potato peeler in green (because everybody needs a green one), amongst others. 


I finally land in the bed linen department and after much selection chose one that was SOLD OUT. The saleslady tells me that it will take 2 days but I've already had my heart set on getting new sheets today. By hook or by crook I'm getting sheets! Hence, I ended up with my 3rd choice (yes,2nd choice was sold out too. Booo :()


Here's the one I want -

Oh wells, I'll nab it next time I'm at Ikea which could very well be in 2 days!
For now, I'll be happy with 3rd choice.

Moving to Singapore

I had set this blog up eons ago just before moving to Singapore but for personal reasons have left it all aside. Today i just felt like blogging and digging it up again, I realized that I had started a post but never finished it...here I'm posting it in all it's unfinished glory....Looking back, I could see how this decision had failed my last r/s which collapsed rapidly due to a multitude of factors exacerbated by thousands of miles between us.

But I don't regret moving to Singapore. Not at all. Now for the life of me, what was Plan C again?

Unfinished post from early Jun 2009

The funny thing of making anything official is the onset of fears and trepidations that just spill over, covering every waking moment of my existence. Weird, I thought we had gone through every nook and cranny, analyzed and mitigated every risk (or more realistically, reasoned idealistically).

I am petrified.

The offer just came suddenly and in true fashion, when needed, it's needed ASAP. This does nothing but add to my overflowing emotions and stress. I am taking it in my stride and not let it affect my vision or confidence.

So what I'm trying to say in my own convoluted fashion (hey, blame the shock that's allowing my brain to write in a stream of conciousness fashion!) is ..

I'm moving to SINGAPORE.

Honestly, really shouldn't be that scary since I'm familiar with it. And it's what I wanted.

I'm just so tired mentally. Plus, it's not happening the way as planned. I will be going alone first and hoping that my guy can join me. It's a calculated risk but one that can fail.

And then what do I do?

Plan C is really not an option. (Technically it is but I don't like settling)

if it sounds fishy, it probably is

Yesterday I received a phone call from what I thought to be a prospective employer. The girl on the phone was hasty in her speech and did not introduce herself either. It didn't leave a very good impression especially since I had to ask for the address of the company after she requested that I come in for an interview. Oh and the fact that she wasn't quite clear on the company name either and  I thought it was a recruiting agency.

Recruiter: " SO are you new graduate??"

Me: "No."

Recruiter: " Oh so you're looking for a career switch?"

Me: "yes, I am."

In my head I'm thinking, what? Don't you have my resume?

Oh wells. Even though I was having some serious misgivings about the rather unprofessional recruiting attitude displayed over the the phone, I agreed to come in for an interview. I brushed it off to it just being "Singapore". I mean, so far, my experience in recruiting here have been dismal to say the least, most of which I can overlook except for unfair hiring practices. One of my biggest beefs in Singapore! *Grrrrrrr* And I refuse to submit a photo of my myself with a resume! NEVER!!! Afterall, I wouldn't want to work for a company that bases their hire on looks rather than skill! But that's a post for another time.

Now I wish I had not wasted my time. I should have just stayed home and honed my cooking skills.

I spent over an hour with "agents" who were basically trying to sell me the idea of becoming an insurance agent or Financial Advisor. Oh I'm sure they are the best "agency" in town and that a few of their advisors are making really good money. Of course, there is good money or else there won't be any insurance agents!

The rhetoric was all so drawn out and well-scripted. I wanted to laugh as I imagined him practising this speech in front of the mirror. As my eyes teared over and I stifled a yawn, I was amazed at myself for being able to feign interest.Every once in a while, I'd be jolted awake by one of his incessant questions.

"SO which department is the most important in a company?"

"Why do you think we have invested in this conference room here"

Buzz, buzz, buzzing on.

Ok, I know questions are to be expected at interviews. But every question was an opportunity for him to "sell" and not to find out more about the candidate - me! Now, I'm not dissing the job of insurance agents or financial advisors but it was a really lame interview.

Oh and I think I might have heard what qualifies as one of the lamest jokes I've heard.

"SO have you talked to a millionaire"

Actually I have but I have no interest in telling you that.

"Because I talk to one everyday! My boss is a millionaire."

Urrm Am I supposed to be impressed by that? I'd probably be more impressed if he had 3 ears and 5 eyes. And maybe, just maybe, impressed if he could do magic tricks with coins.

Come on, give me a break. We're all humans and so he may have a ton of money but I sure don't find that impressive. Let alone be impressed by you talking to him.

Bottomline - am not sold and am not interested. Am I stupid to give up making exponential amounts of money?? WHO knows? I just couldn't picture myself scripting out and practising sales speeches, especially if they were as lame as that!